I was in junior high. I made a note that I checked it out from the library and didn't like it. My note about this book merely says "It's stupid" which, incidentally, was my note about a lot of books I read back then. So now reading what this book is about I can see that I probably just didn't get it in any way whatsoever. Be interesting to re-read this one. ( )

Okay look I know this was written in the 1969 and everything but wow that was an incredibly upsetting and disappointing ending. I feel real fuckin unfulfilled and angry. ( )

Amazing book considering how old it is... ( )

Narrated by Michael Urie. There's a quaint feel to this book because of the dialog (I don't know anyone who says "make" when referring to pooping) but ultimately this book is remarkable for its topic and the time in which it was published. No dramatic resolution or shouts of gay pride, just a period in a young teen's life where he's learning to figure it out as he goes along. Petty gripes: The boys on the cover look much older than the 13-year-old characters Davy and Altschuler. Also, Urie oddly chooses a Clint Eastwood-like whisper for Altschuler. ( )

I read this when it was first published in 1971 and rereading it forty years later reminds me why I remembered liking it. The voice of Davy and his love for his dog Fred are memorable and true to life. While I have never been a dog person I can still appreciate the importance of Fred to Davy as an anchor during the tremendous changes that are taking place in his life. In some respects it is amazing that he is able to survive the events in his life beginning with the death of his grandmother and continuing through a move from Boston to New York and the changing relationships that ensue. He is resilient and for a while that resilience is girded by a close friendship - a first love. Davy is real and faces the vicissitudes of his life in a way that endears him to the reader. Well written and believable, this is a novel that is encouraging for its reader no matter what his (or her) age. ( )